


living life without coming up for air

by everyshootingstar



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Kneeling, M/M, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Non-Sexual Submission
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:48:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26999935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everyshootingstar/pseuds/everyshootingstar
Summary: His knees hit the floor the second they're behind closed doors, the second Joe's in arms distance, his forehead finds its perch against his thigh, a soft and shaky sigh leaving his lips."Are you alright my heart?" Joe asks softly, his warm hand cradling the back of Nicky's head, "Do you need to talk about it?"Nicky shakes his head against Joe's thigh, eyes closed as little by little, the tension drains from his form.
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 33
Kudos: 276





	living life without coming up for air

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [this kink meme prompt](https://theoldguardkinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/3653.html?thread=1038149#cmt1038149) and whew i wrote this in one sitting in the middle of the night when i should have been sleeping. 
> 
> feel free to hit me up on tumblr @ [boulangerlee](https://boulangerlee.tumblr.com) on tumblr! i hope you enjoy!
> 
> title comes from anna sun by walk the moon - the song i listened to constantly while writing this

His knees hit the floor the second they're behind closed doors, the second Joe's in arms distance, his forehead finds its perch against his thigh, a soft and shaky sigh leaving his lips. 

"Are you alright my heart?" Joe asks softly, his warm hand cradling the back of Nicky's head, "Do you need to talk about it?" 

Nicky shakes his head against Joe's thigh, eyes closed as little by little, the tension drains from his form. 

Joe hums, combing gentle fingers through his hair, "Let me sit, my love," he murmurs and Nicky allows him to step back, following on his knees, until Joe's seated on the couch, legs spread just enough for Nicky to kneel comfortably between. "Do you need a pillow?" 

As he thinks about it, he rests his forehead against Joe's knee now, eyes droopy as he feels  _ content _ , right where he  _ belongs _ . When he shakes his head no, Joe's fingers return to his hair, "Tap my thigh twice when you need it," he murmurs and let's the silence lapse between them. 

Nicky's eyes fully close and he drifts, feels light and floaty as Joe's fingers carefully trace along the soft skin behind his ears, letting out a soft sigh at how  _ boneless _ and  _ content  _ he feels at Joe's feet. 

Kneeling had been something he'd known intimately for many centuries, but none of his past experiences could hold a candle to the feeling of doing this for Joe, of letting himself have this sort of thing for no reason other than he  _ wants  _ it, that he  _ trusts  _ Joe to keep him from falling too deep too fast—because he knows Joe needs this too, something quiet and intimate that the two of them share, him kneeling at Joe's feet and Joe keeping himself grounded with a hand in Nicky's hair. 

Eventually he does tap Joe's thigh and they take a moment to shift, to fit a pillow under Nicky's knees before the quiet resumes, Joe's fingers tugging gently at the ends of the strands, something firm and heady, making Nicky sigh loudly and turn his head until his cheek is against Joe's knee and he can peer up at him through half lidded eyes. 

Joe smiles down at Nicky, traces his fingertips along the curve of his cheek, "Do you mind if I read, my heart? I was thinking I could finish that collection of poems, maybe read you the ones that remind me of you." 

Nicky nods, tilting his head to brush a barely there kiss across Joe's fingertips and then fingers leave his face for a moment to grab a hardback book with a dark green cover before the fingers come back, this time resting against the back of his neck, Nicky's eyes slipping shut again as Joe starts reading softly, words melding together into something soft and gentle and  _ lovely.  _

After sometime, Joe closes the book and shifts, gently tapping his fingertips against Nicky's cheek, "My heart, I feel it's time for you to eat now, do you think you're alright to do so?" He murmurs. 

Nicky nods, almost unconsciously, lifting his head and blinking slow and sleepy at Joe. 

"Food and then we can head to bed for the night," Joe murmurs, carding his fingers through Nicky's hair. "It's been a long day for us and I want to hold you in my arms and feel you against my chest, my darling." 

Nicky finally hums, leans into the touch, tilting his head up when Joe leans down to press a kiss to his lips, soft and dry before he pulls back. "Are you alright to go get changed and ready for bed, love? I'll bring food to the bedroom for us while you do that. We won't be apart long." 

A slow nod and Nicky's lips press against Joe's knee before he carefully pushes himself up, shoulders relaxed, posture open as he moves to the bedroom, leaving the door open behind him. 

Joe doesn't take long to find something to eat, some sort of leftover pasta dish from earlier, heating two bowls of it before carrying it into the bedroom. 

Nicky's seated just on the edge of the bed, he's wearing one of Joe's shirts, a tell-tale sign he's not  _ quite _ out of it just yet, so Joe proceeds carefully, placing both bowls down onto the side table. 

"Let's get you comfortable," he says, placing a hand on Nicky's shoulder, carefully guiding him back to sit against the headboard, covering his lap with their blanket. "I'm not going anywhere else, I'll be just up there changing," he murmurs, running his fingers through Nicky's hair, leaning down to press a kiss to his forehead when he tilts his head back. 

He goes through getting ready for bed, the entire time keeping a close eye on Nicky who's moved one bowl of pasta into his lap and is eating at it slowly and Joe's heart beats painfully in his chest at just  _ how much  _ he loves the other man. 

Hopefully later, when they need to brush their teeth, it'll be easier to get Nicky out of bed, not that he's too concerned about it right now, he thinks as he stands beside the bed, quickly eating his own bowl to sate his own hunger.

Nicky makes a soft noise when Joe crawls into bed, letting himself be maneuvered around until he's resting back to chest against Joe, their fingers laced together while Joe's other arm cradles Nicky's head and neck, his lips pressing a warm kiss to the back of Nicky's neck. 

Then, once they're both settled, Nicky speaks, his voice low and soft as he tells Joe about what set him off, what made him  _ need  _ to be at Joe's feet, how he'd woken up this morning entirely off kilter and then, when spending the day together didn't quite scratch the itch, he needed something  _ more _ . 

And Joe listens and holds Nicky, presses another kiss to the back of his neck as he speaks, not once loosening his arms from around him, let's him speak until Nicky's voice trails off into something more quiet and contemplative. 

There's a gentle song and dance to this, Joe's voice taking up the quiet space to tell Nicky how much he means to him, how it feels that Nicky  _ trusts _ him with this vulnerability and how he'll always be here when Nicky needs that, when he needs to kneel for hours until his head quiets. 

Eventually, Nicky wiggles in his arms until he's facing Joe, presses his mouth against Joe's for a moment, not quite looking to push it into anything more, just sitting there as his hands cradle Joe's face and Joe's curls around the back of Nicky's neck. 

When they part, Nicky's smiling and he murmurs something about brushing his teeth, because despite the stillness, kneeling  _ does  _ take a lot out of him, so Joe uses the moment to take their empty bowls to the kitchen, slipping into the bathroom once Nicky's done to take care of his own. 

"Can I hold you for a little bit?" Nicky asks, voice low and soft and Joe smiles, settles on the bed with his back facing Nicky, letting out a content sigh when Nicky curls up against him, arms wrapping around his waist, holding him  _ tight _ . 

"Is this how you wanted it?" Joe murmurs, smiling at the soft snuffling sound Nicky makes as he presses his nose into the back of Joe's neck. 

"This is perfect," Nicky murmurs. "You're perfect. Thank you my love."

Joe hums, knows eventually they'll switch back, that he'll wake up with Nicky in his arms and cradled against his chest, but content for now to lay like this because it's what Nicky  _ needs.  _

  
  
  
  



End file.
